Apple has defended itself after a
New York Times report said that the tech giant was shutting
down third-party screen-time-limiting apps that were in
competition with its newly introduced Screen Time feature.

Two of the most popular apps that Apple pulled from the App
Store, Kidslox and Qustodio, have filed an antitrust complaint to
the European Union, The Times said in a report on Saturday.

Apple said it became aware that these apps were using "highly
invasive" mobile device management, or MDM, software. MDM allows
third parties to monitor and control what happens on a device,
and is sometimes used by businesses to keep control over things
such as proprietary data to give them the ability to wipe devices
remotely.

Apple's argument is that MDM should not be used on consumers,
especially in the case of apps targeted at parents trying to
limit their children's screen time.

"It is incredibly risky - and a clear violation of App Store
policies - for a private, consumer-focused app business to
install MDM control over a customer's device," it said.

Apple said it gave the app developers a 30-day grace period to
get rid of the MDM technology. Several released updates that
complied with Apple's ruling; those that didn't were removed from
the App Store.

"Contrary to what The New York Times reported over the weekend,
this isn't a matter of competition" Apple said.
"It's a matter of security."

In the original Times report, an Apple spokeswoman said Apple
removed or required changes to the apps in question because "they
could gain too much information from users' devices," in the
words of reporter Jack Nicas. Otherwise, detail was scant.

Apple did not immediately comment when Business Insider asked
whether it had provided The Times with detail about its MDM
concerns.

You can read Apple's full statement here:

Apple has always believed that parents should have tools to
manage their children's device usage. It's the reason we created,
and continue to develop, Screen Time. Other apps in the App
Store, including Balance Screen Time by Moment Health and Verizon
Smart Family, give parents the power to balance the benefits of
technology with other activities that help young minds learn and
grow.

We recently removed several parental control apps from the
App Store, and we did it for a simple reason: they put users'
privacy and security at risk. It's important to understand why
and how this happened.

Over the last year, we became aware that several of these
parental control apps were using a highly invasive technology
called Mobile Device Management, or MDM. MDM gives a third party
control and access over a device and its most sensitive
information including user location, app use, email accounts,
camera permissions, and browsing history. We started exploring
this use of MDM by non-enterprise developers back in early 2017
and updated our guidelines based on that work in mid-2017.

MDM does have legitimate uses. Businesses will sometimes
install MDM on enterprise devices to keep better control over
proprietary data and hardware. But it is incredibly risky-and a
clear violation of App Store policies-for a private,
consumer-focused app business to install MDM control over a
customer's device. Beyond the control that the app itself can
exert over the user's device, research has shown that MDM
profiles could be used by hackers to gain access for malicious
purposes.

Parents shouldn't have to trade their fears of their
children's device usage for risks to privacy and security, and
the App Store should not be a platform to force this choice. No
one, except you, should have unrestricted access to manage your
child's device.

When we found out about these guideline violations, we
communicated these violations to the app developers, giving them
30 days to submit an updated app to avoid availability
interruption in the App Store. Several developers released
updates to bring their apps in line with these policies. Those
that didn't were removed from the App Store.We created the App Store to provide a secure, vibrant
marketplace where developers and entrepreneurs can bring their
ideas to users worldwide, and users can have faith that the apps
they discover meet Apple's standards of security and
responsibility.

Apple has always supported third-party apps on the App Store
that help parents manage their kids' devices. Contrary to what
The New York Times reported over the weekend, this isn't a matter
of competition. It's a matter of security.

In this app category, and in every category, we are committed
to providing a competitive, innovative app ecosystem. There are
many tremendously successful apps that offer functions and
services similar to Apple's in categories like messaging, maps,
email, music, web browsers, photos, note-taking apps, contact
managers and payment systems, just to name a few. We are
committed to offering a place for these apps to thrive as they
improve the user experience for everyone.